Modano may find the weight of Hockeytown heavy

Hockey Betting Lines

08/06/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Perhaps Mike Modano is finishing his career where he always intended.

It is certainly going to be odd for any long-time hockey fan to see Modano skate during an NHL season with nothing other than the symbolic star on his chest, first that of the Minnesota variety and later representing Dallas. But when the Stars decided this past offseason to part ways with Modano for the first time since the franchise drafted him first overall in 1988, there seemed to be only one destination in the cards for the center.

Modano was going home. Everybody knew it.

"I thought I was emotionally and mentally finished with the game after last year," said Modano at a press conference on Friday. "I think the last little while in Dallas has taken a toll on him in those aspects. But coming here to visit these guys and talking with them certainly does get you excited about the opportunity that is here."

The Michigan-born skater seems ready to bring his Hall of Fame worthy career to Detroit where it all began, but might not find Detroit so tranquil amid the pressure of bringing home another title.

Make no mistake, the Red Wings aren't bringing in Modano, who was born approximately 13 miles from downtown Detroit in nearby Livonia, with the thinking he will return to his 30-goal days. That time has passed as Modano has scored more than 22 goals just once in his last six seasons.

Instead, Detroit is offering the 40-year-old a comfortable place to conclude a career that is entering its 21st season, one that has seen the veteran post 557 goals and 1,359 goals, both most among U.S.-born skaters in NHL history. His 145 playoff posts also lead all American-born players.

Goals for the Red Wings will come off the stick of Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom. Modano will only be counted on to lend veteran leadership to a third line that is expected to feature Dan Cleary and Jiri Hudler on the wings.

"The game looks easy when you watch these guys and you play against them," said Modano. "It just looks real simple and effortless and you don't waste a lot of energy. At 40, I don't really want to waste a lot of energy."

While Modano certainly sounds like a guy who realizes his best days are behind him, Detroit must get something from him offensively. The club is coming off a 2009-10 season that saw it go from tops in the NHL the previous year with 289 goals to 14th last season with 223 tallies. That drop was attributed to the free agent losses of Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky, Mikael Samuelsson and Hudler, who returns after a one-year stint in the KHL, as well as injuries to Valtteri Filppula and Franzen among others.

But other than bringing back Hudler, the Red Wings haven't added any scorer other than Modano, so to say they aren't expecting much out of the seven-time All-Star would be facetious.

Should Modano fail to contribute on offense, especially if the injury bug hits Motown again, he runs the risk of ending his career not with a bang, or better yet a title, but amongst a collective sigh of what used to be; just another veteran who stuck around one year too long.

"A lot of high expectations so I think that will drive us and really give me some excitement leading into camp to get ready for the season and hopefully live up to the hype and play a little more youthful than a 40 year old," said Modano.

This type of move has worked for Detroit before, as recent as eight seasons ago when the Red Wings added a 37-year-old Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille, 36, to a club that won it all in 2002. Both Hull and Robitaille scored 30 goals that regular season, while Hull finished fourth on the team with 18 playoff points.

A 30-goal season for Modano would exceed even the most wild expectations, but a punchless campaign out of the seasoned skater would sour his homecoming really quick.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.

"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."

Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.